Small doesn’t mean blah—at least, that’s the way owner David Hopper views his micro-grocery-convenience store, Dia’s Market, in Austin, Texas. “We wanted to offer our neighborhood an alternative to mass market products,” Hopper said. “Our small footprint—3,000 square feet total—allows us to showcase our handpicked specialty gourmet foods without overwhelming our customers.”

The Basics

Dia’s—the name comes from the first initials of Hopper’s three children—sticks with the key categories, such as deli, dry goods, frozen and fresh. “Either myself or my staff choose the products we carry, and we try to go beyond the well-known name brands,” he said.

With a background in both grocery and specialty foods, Hopper was well-positioned to merchandise his store. “Whenever I’ve traveled, I’ve always noticed the abundance of local or regional selections at smaller concept stores,” he said. “That’s what I wanted for Dia’s Market, too.”

Once Dia’s opened in 2016, local and regional specialty food manufacturers began to approach him about carrying their products. “It’s not always a good fit, but I find it’s worth my time to talk with them and see how their products might work in my store,” Hopper said. “I like to have harder-to-find items that aren’t readily available all over town.”

His store focuses on products with fewer preservatives and more natural and real ingredients. “We’re not an organic store, although we do have some organic products,” he said. “We instead focus on small-batch products and specialty foods made with healthy ingredients.”

I like to have harder-to-find items that aren’t readily available all over town.

While not every product Hopper brings in resonates with customers, a few have surprised him by taking off. “Jeni’s Splendid Ice Cream—a gourmet ice cream with amazing flavors and textures—has done extremely well, despite the higher price point,” he said. “Unisoy vegan jerky is a pretty awesome product our customers love, as well as a nut mix called Shar Snacks, which is a local product.”

Like many retailers these days, Dia’s Market also has a deli and kitchen. “Society has less time to cook because of work schedules, etc., so I wanted the ability to grow that side of the business over time,” Hopper said.

Currently, Dia’s has a deli that slices meats and cheeses, as well as makes made-to-order sandwiches, salads and soups. “Over the last four years, people would rather have someone else make food, although people are definitely buying more groceries during the last three months because of COVID-19. The idea of a grocery store still has viability, as does the need to have fresh, prepared food,” he said.

The Connection

Hopper keeps his marketing focus local in keeping with the idea of a neighborhood store. “We live nearby and advertise in the neighborhood quarterly newsletters,” he said. To give back to the community, Dia’s donates to local food pantries on a monthly basis and often participates in fundraisers at the elementary, middle and high schools. “Our children go to those schools, so we want to support them when we can,” he said.

Social media also plays a role in getting the word out, with Hopper posting photos of store items on Facebook and Instagram. “We often partner with manufacturers and will tag them when we talk about their products, and they usually tag us back,” he said.

Dia’s used to hold events at the store, such as a semi-annual market featuring African-American vendors and live music on the patio Thursday nights, plus numerous on-site fundraisers. But because of the coronavirus pandemic, those events have been put on hold for now.

Overall, Hopper hopes each customer leaves thinking what an amazing experience he or she had at Dia’s Market. “I want them to come in and feel the store is very inviting, inclusive, clean and organized, that they can get what they need,” he said. “We do our best to accommodate customer requests as best we can because our customers come first.”